Unicorn College Prague, Czech Republic

It’s 2019 already! Somehow it feels unreal that the exams are about to begin and that the first semester of the double degree will be over soon. Right before Christmas, time just flew by. Between studying for tests we, the international students, have tried to integrate as much time for Christmas markets, ice skating and Christmas parties as possible into our schedule. When the exams were over, we had plenty of time to relax. For example, we often sat together in our apartment in the evening playing cards and enjoying the shared time before Christmas. There was always good food on the table. Every time somebody else took over the cooking duty. That’s why we alternately enjoyed the Italian, Mexican and “student” cuisine (which is somehow a category on its own). In Prague there are several ice rinks for skating in December. We went to an ice rink in an inner courtyard, which had a special flair.

On the 4^th advent, I went to a Christmas concert at the National Theatre in Prague for which I had booked tickets. This was a wonderful and special experience. Although I understood the lyrics only partially, many melodies seemed familiar to me, which really got me into the Christmas spirit. On 23 December, I went home to spend the holidays and New Year’s Eve with my family and friends. I really enjoyed the time at home. Since then it has become time to start studying for the upcoming final exams. For most subjects, we have already earned 50% of the grade during the semester. The remaining 50% are made up of oral exams. In mid-January the exams will start and in mid-February the second Erasmus semester will begin. I’m looking forward to it as much as to the first one.

Soon we will choose our next subjects. There will also be a few changes in the Erasmus community: many of the current Erasmus students will leave – only Anna (a fellow BIM student in her 3^rd semester like me) and I will stay. We are looking forward to the time to come, also because we know our way around here quite well and we have built up a social network. To sum it up, we are glad that we have chosen the double degree programme. Besides, we have become fluent enough in Czech to have short conversations, so the city opens up in a completely different way. Even if you speak the local language only a little bit, you feel more part of the culture. I am eager to see what 2019 will bring and I’m looking forward to another great semester at the Unicorn College in Prague.